Nazariy Gusakov has been charged with a new offense in the case involving a fraudulent fundraising campaign for medical treatment
Nazarii Gusakov, a resident of Lviv who organized a public fundraiser ostensibly for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), has been notified of a new charge. According to the investigation, more than 162 million hryvnias passed through cryptocurrency services and over 1,100 bank cards. This time, he is charged with money laundering.
Law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fundraising campaign, which was conducted under the pretext of needing to finance treatment.
According to the Prosecutor General, the investigation established that the funds Ukrainians transferred for medical treatment passed through a complex system of financial transactions.
“The funds that people transferred in the hope of saving a life subsequently passed through a complex system of financial transactions. They were transferred via the cryptocurrency services Binance and WhiteBIT, distributed across more than 1,170 bank cards belonging to other individuals, converted into USDT cryptocurrency, and moved between numerous crypto wallets,” Kravchenko said.
According to investigators, this was intended to complicate the tracing of the funds’ origin and conceal their subsequent movement. The total volume of financial transactions under investigation exceeds 162.5 million UAH, as confirmed by a forensic analysis report.
The number of victims has also increased during the investigation. “While there were 34 victims when the initial suspicion was reported, there are now 96. The amount of established damages has risen from 1.3 million hryvnias to over 2 million hryvnias,” the Prosecutor General noted.
According to Kravchenko, the suspect is cooperating with the investigation, providing the necessary explanations, and fully admitting guilt in the crimes charged. The pretrial investigation into the charges of fraud and money laundering on an especially large scale has been completed. Once the case files have been disclosed to the defense, the indictment will be forwarded to the court.
At the same time, law enforcement agencies are continuing a separate criminal proceeding. “In the separate criminal proceedings, we are continuing to trace the full flow of funds, identify all individuals who may have participated in the financial transactions, as well as the actual users of the cryptocurrency wallets through which the money passed,” the Prosecutor General emphasized.
He added that other financial transactions are also being investigated, and if others involved in the scheme are identified, they will also be held accountable.
This was reported with reference to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
The condition of Nazarii Gusakov, a suspect in money laundering, has deteriorated sharply.
Earlier, journalist Olga Khudetska stated that activist Nazarii Gusakov, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), demanded donations from wounded soldiers and “traded on his connections.”
The Office of the Prosecutor General will soon announce charges in absentia against Nazarii Gusakov, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The activist faces allegations of fraud during a fundraising campaign for his medical treatment.
